SBM4301 Innovation and New Technologies
Assessment 2: Report A; Word count: 2000 words
Assessment Details:
Write a report on current trends on technological innovation and disruptive technologies. Identify few examples of current trends in technological innovation and then focus the report on one innovation in detail. You must be able to identify and synthesise relevant information. You should examine and critically evaluate the most relevant, recent and scholarly research on a topic (in this case, current trends on technological innovation). Write the report by following the structure like an essay: an introduction, a series of body paragraphs, and a conclusion.
In this assessment, you will have to complete the following tasks:
- In the introduction, you will have to define innovation, technological innovation, current technological trends and emerging technological trends in business. Identify examples of current technological trends and emerging technological trends on technological innovation and describe in brief about those trends. You can provide many examples.
- In the body of the paragraphs, you will have to identify one current trend of your choice and discuss in detail about that technological innovation. For this part of the assessments, you will have to conduct literature search from current and credible resources to describe one latest innovative technology useful for business information system.
- In concluding paragraph, you will have to explain the role/influence (both positive and negative) of technological innovation and disruptive technologies in businesses and society.
For successful completion of this assessment, you are required to study the material provided (lecture slides, tutorials, and reading materials), engage in the unit’s activities, and in the class discussion. The prescribed textbook is the main reference along with the recommended reading material. Students are expected to discuss their work with lecturer and to seek support.
Assessment 3: Report-B, Word Count, 2,000 words
Assessment Details:
You will choose one existing incumbent that is being beaten by a challenger in business. In other words, identify and choose one incumbent that is struggling to survive in the market. Conduct a thorough analysis of the current conditions of this incumbent by referring to following relevant strategic analysis frameworks:
1. Porter’s Five Forces Model (refer to lecture 7)
- Degree of existing rivalry
- Threat of potential entrants
- Bargaining power of suppliers
- Bargaining powers of buyers
- Threat of substitutes
2. Stakeholders analysis (refer to lecture 7)
- Strategic stakeholder analysis
- Normative stakeholder analysis
3. Porter’s Value Chain Model (refer to lecture 7)
- Primary activities
- Support activities
4. PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, Legal)
5. SWOT (Strength, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats)
6. Technology cycle (refer to lecture 4)
- Era of ferment
- Era of incremental change
7. The Utterback and Abernathy Model or 3 Phases of innovation model (refer to lecture 4)
- Fluid Phase
- Transitional Phase
- Specific Phase
8. The McKinsey 7-S Model
- Hard elements (Strategy, Structure, System)
- Soft element (Shared Values, Skills, Style and Staff)
You will have to use at least 4 strategic analysis frameworks, identify and evaluate the current position of the incumbent and synthesise the findings. The first one (Porter’s Five Forces Model) is compulsory. In technology cycle and 3 phases of Innovation model, you will have to explain at which phase does the current position of the incumbent of your choice fall on. After assessing the incumbent’s current position, provide a detailed solution for this incumbent to re-emerge in the market. The solution has to be linked to innovation and new disruptive technologies. This will help you to explain about the firm’s strategic intent. This solution should help you to identify and explain resources and capabilities required by the incumbent that helps to close the gap between its current position and its strategic intent. As part of your assessment, you will have to create a mind map to show the possible solutions.
Assessment 4: Tutorial Participation and Submission; Word Count, N/A
Assessment Details:
Different exercises assess students’ ability to understand theoretical materials on a weekly basis. Students will be given simple activities each week and will be required to provide answers and achieve identified outcomes. The students will be required to submit those activities to the lecturer at the end of each tutorial. The activities will be either multiple choice questions, case studies followed by short question answers which are relevant to the lectures of each week.
Students will not be assessed on work that the tutor has not seen them produce in class so that attendance is required as part of this assessment. Students are required to submit the work that they have completed during the tutorial session. The details of the tutorial work and requirements are provided on the online learning system.
Assessment 5: Case Study; Word count 2,500 words
Mrs. Crowley is the chief operating officer (COO) of a tourism resort in northern Queensland. A core component of her role as COO is to predict, plan for and implement necessary changes to the resorts core services.
Guests staying at the resort primarily travel to the region to enjoy the surrounding environment, including natural attractions such as the Daintree rainforest, Great Barrier Reef and Wallaman Falls.
Where possible, the resort likes to facilitate their guests travel to these natural attractions. However, over recent years their courtesy car and bus fleet has become increasingly run down. This has frustrated employees of the resort who enjoyed facilitating this service and overtime developed a level of expertise and experience in describing the importance of these natural sites. Adding to frustrations, the employees have had to watch other tourism services offering this exact service become more and more successful!
Some good news is on the horizon however. The Queensland state government has decided to invest in sustainable tourism development and a considerable sum of money is available to those tourism operations who can demonstrate their ability to provide educational and sustainable tourism services to their clients.
This initiative is considered critical as sustainable tourism is an increasingly popular form of tourism consumption. There are fears that if tourism in Queensland doesn’t respond to this market trend it could be surpassed by other states or international destinations as the ‘must visit’ location for environmental attractions.
Knowing this, Mrs. Crowley is very keen to secure access to some of the promised investment capital. However, she is aware that to receive any money from the state government she must demonstrate her resorts ability to innovate and provide a sustainable tourism service.
Assessment Details:
You need to complete a research report, investigating the feasibility of an innovation strategy for the example case presented above. As part of this feasibility report you will need to:
Identify and account for internal and external environmental factors facing the organisation.
- Identify three (3) opportunities and associated strategies to innovate.
- Critically evaluate one (1) of these opportunities and strategies and develop a plan for its implementation.
- Develop a process to review and monitor the progress of this innovation strategy.
In completing the research report, you are required to do the following:
- Explain the importance of environmental factors in shaping business innovations – specifically those which apply to the organisation described in the case study.
- Assess and evaluate potential opportunities for business innovation the organisation in the case study can exploit.
- Develop a plan and review system to implement and control the chosen business innovation strategies the case study organisation would like to employ.
- Write a 2500-word research report following the suggested structure/criteria provided below.
- On completion, submit the assessment in a single Microsoft Word document via the Assessment 5 Upload link on the Canvas system.
Report Structure:
It is suggested you use the following sections and headings to structure your research report.
- Report preliminaries: Title page, executive summary, table of contents.
- Introduction: Provide a brief description of the purpose and aim of the report. Outline the nature of the industry applicable to the case study organisation. Briefly identify the importance of understanding environmental factors and their role in shaping business
innovation. - Body: Present theoretical/conceptual research justifying the need for organisations to consider their external environment. Present findings of research into factors affecting the organisation described within the case study. Discuss implications of these findings to
present three (3) opportunities to innovate (using theoretical/conceptual evidence to support opinion). Choose the most favourable innovation option and describe in detail (including a plan for its implementation and means by which to monitor and control once
implemented). - Conclusion: Link the arguments presented in the body to form sound and logical conclusions.
- Recommendations: In line with conclusions, offer specific recommendations designed to aid in achievement of the selected innovation initiative.